Bosco-m's Avengers
by bosco-m
Summary: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! The Avengers are assisting SHIELD in tracking down a series of arms dealers, international criminals and terrorists who are somehow flying easily below SHIELD's radar, which is no mean feat.
1. Chapter 1: Pittsburgh Airport

**Aboard a SHIELD Helocarrier - 1900**

Captain Steve Rogers, known more commonly as Captain America, leaned back and looked at the tablet in his hand, studying the intelligence report on an underground technology and arms dealer. Well, it would be far more accurate to say the lack of intelligence considering all it was reporting was that they couldn't be found. "Damn, these people are like ghosts!"

"Yeah they are, Steve;" said Natasha Romanoff, publicly known as the Black Widow, as she slid him a cup of coffee. "I've never seen anything like these guys. No one has ever been able to stay under SHIELD's radar like that."

Steve took a sip of the coffee and sighed with satisfaction, glanced back at the tablet and then tossed it onto the table. "Well that's no help whatsoever. How about you? You're a super spy. Can you read anything from that?"

Natasha chuckled and shook her head. "Nothing to read; we have no information to read. We have no information at all."

Steve put his head and his hands and said, "I don't like chasing ghosts. Is there anything going on that we _can_ do something about?"

Natasha chuckled and sipped her own coffee. "Nick will let us know - if the World Security Council is on board that is."

"And of course we can't help Peter with the local crime problems - because we weren't invited. Sometimes I wonder if going public was a good idea."

Natasha chuckled and said, "Steve, you came out of the ice in public. As soon as you were fully recovered, you were public knowledge. You're Captain A-freakin-merica! If you want to go help, you probably could just not with the rest of the Avengers. Come on. Let's find something to take your mind off things. I'm sure Nick will have something for you soon."

Steve stood to his feet. "Yeah? Any idea how we can do that?"

A wicked gleam entered her eyes and she said, "A few; you want combat training, intel training or miscellaneous training?"

Captain America cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Miscellaneous training? What's that?"

The wicked gleam turned into a wicked grin. "It's a private session - one on one. We work on whatever you want to work on."

The naive and old fashioned Steve didn't understand for several seconds and when he did, he blushed and said, "Oh, well now that you mention it, a one on one session sounds good to me - if you have the time."

They were about to head off when Bruce Banner walked into the office with a young, professionally dressed woman with glasses and a briefcase. "Hey Steve, where is everybody?"

"They're around, Doctor. Do we need to gather for something?"

The scientist chuckled and said, "It's no emergency. I just want them to meet someone. This is my cousin Jennifer Walters."

Natasha chuckled and said, "I've heard of you. Does Tony need legal help again?"

Jennifer Walters chuckled and said, "No; at least not to my knowledge."

Steve called everyone he could and waited. When everyone was there, Tony Stark, James Rhodes, Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne, Clint Barton and Sam Wilson, Bruce Banner said, "Everyone, this is my cousin Jennifer Walters. She's a lawyer."

Tony Stark nodded and said, "Nice to meet you, Miss Walters. How can we help you today?"

"Actually, Mister Stark, it's more how I can help you;" she replied, setting her briefcase to the side and pulling her jacket off. When she went for her skirt, Steve went, "Woah now, what are you doing?"

Jennifer just chuckled and said, "It's not what you think, Captain. Just wait a second."

As she removed her skirt and shirt and kicked off her heals, Jennifer revealed that she was wearing skintight outfit beneath. Closing her eyes and screwing up her face, Jennifer suddenly groaned and fell to her knees before her skin turned green and she grew larger. When she straightened, she was as tall as Steve was, at least six-foot, seven inches and she grinned broadly. Tony's eyes were wide and said, "Another Hulk?"

"That's right, Mister Stark."

"How'd that happen?" asked Steve before blushing and saying, "I'm sorry. That was rude."

"Don't worry about it, Captain. It happened after I received a gunshot wound from a gangster in Los Vegas. Bruce came by and, after the doctor said that I was going to die, he took me out of the hospital and gave me a highly illegal but at least sanitary blood transfusion and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, I can lift impossible weights and am practically bullet proof so..." and she shrugged and trailed off. Bruce chuckled and said, "She was wondering if she could sign up with the Avengers - even if it would be mostly to help Tony with his many legal issues."

Jennifer laughed and Tony said, "Let me ask you something, Miss Walters; do you have a lot of crime fighting or world saving experience?"

She looked to the side a little uncomfortably. "A little - nothing like the rest of you though. I tossed around a group of thugs in Vegas but..."

"That's alright;" said Steve with a grin. "I'm sure that Director Fury will help us find a mission to go on that will help us see what you can do."

"He will help;" came an amused voice from one of the room's entrances. They all turned to see Nick fury striding in. "We have word that Crossbones is mucking around in Pittsburgh. What exactly he's up to, I'm not sure but it's never good when he and his mercs go to a populated city and things start blowing up. I'm having four of you go with a team of tactical SHIELD agents to bring him in."

Steve lifted a hand and said, "I'll go."

"Of course;" muttered Tony. Nick gave a very small, wry smile, "Yes, you'll be in charge. Miss Walters, you'll be going too. Wilson, Barton, you'll be going too. A quinjet is being prepared now and so are twelve agents. Be ready in twenty. Any questions, I'll be on the bridge;"

Tony and Rhodey looked at each other and left the room. "What, are they a couple or something?" asked Jen, causing a low chorus of chuckles. Steve just sighed, "No. They seem to think that one of them should be on every mission to make sure the jobs get done right. You have a narcissistic billionaire genius and an Air Force Colonel who's used to being in control of an operation. Right, Miss Walters-"

"Captain, you don't have to call me that. I prefer Jen and hate this 'Miss Walters' stuff outside of the court room."

Steve chuckled and said, "Alright, Jen. Meet us on the launch deck in fifteen minutes. Do you have any other gear you want to put together?"

Jen shook her head and Clint Barton and Sam Wilson hustled out of the room. Natasha looked at Steve and said, "Careful, Cap. I won't be there to watch your ass this time."

Steve chuckled before heading to the armory to collect his own gear.

* * *

Jen was pacing on the flight deck of the Helocarrier when Captain America, Hawkeye and Falcon came out. She had to say that she liked what she saw. Cap was wearing a rather tight fitting combat suit and had his trademark shield on his back. He looked good in red, white and blue. Hawkeye was in dark blue and had his trademark bow on his back and Falcon was in a tech suit with the high tech metal wings and weapons. "Ready to go, Jen?" asked Cap. Jen nodded and said, "Let's do this."

The twelve tactical agents were seated and buckled in. They all stared briefly at the jade giantess before bringing their eyes front. Among them was Agent Sharon Carter, a quite young agent but talented and vigorous in her work. "Captain Rogers, we just received word that Crossbones and his mercs are holding the Pittsburgh Airport. We aren't sure what they're doing there because Crossbones hasn't issued demands of any kind."

Cap nodded and strapped in as the quinjet took off. It wasn't a long flight to Pittsburgh - only about thirty-five minutes at the speed that the quinjet could fly. On the flight, Jen asked, "So, what's the play, Captain?"

"It's going to be dark by the time we get there. If I know Crossbones, he's going to have grounded all flights so getting in close isn't going to be hard. Unless I'm wrong, flights going in to Pittsburgh are going to have been diverted to other airports so getting this baby in under the radar is going to be hard. The good news is that power has been cut to the airport so they won't have the entire facility's surveillance up. However, that doesn't mean they won't have set up their own."

Agent Carter chuckled and said, "Landing isn't going to be the problem. This baby has a stealth capability that makes it pretty much invisible to the naked eye. Not only that but we have a Electromagnet Pulse emitter that can fry any of their own equipment."

Cap looked at her with a little surprise. "Are those common features for all quinjets? And won't it fry out comms and this jet?"

Hawkeye laughed and said, "No it's not. This one's the only one the carrier. It's specifically for insertions like this and no, we don't need to worry about our comms or the jet. It was specially made to guard against stuff life this using special alloys and such."

A call from cockpit came. "Insertion in sixty seconds. Get ready, Captain."

They all stood and Captain America said, "Listen up; we'll be going in at two points. Falcon, I need you to keep an eye from outside. Hawk, you're going to be taken Agent Carter and five more agents and entering in through the roof. The rest of us are going to repel and go in from the parking garage."

Jen looked a little troubled. "Won't they see us coming?"

Captain America gave a grin. "They'll see us coming, yes. They won't see the others coming. If we can keep them focused on us, Hawk and Carter can take whatever command center they have. Sam, use that drone of yours to get us a good scan of the buildings to see if we can figure the concentration of the people inside."

"You got it, Cap."

The jet lowered and Cap grabbed a line to descent from before looking at the rest of them. "I'm banking on the fact that Crossbones jumps at the opportunity to want to try and prove that he's better than me and to take me on one at a time. Assuming that's correct, Jen, you're going to go with the second team to help secure Crossbones' men and any hostages. Questions?"

Falcon looked a little hesitant and asked, "Steve, are you sure that you can afford to take on Crossbones? Last time you won but he beat you up pretty good."

Captain America shrugged. "And I was on the mats rolling with Black Widow the day after that. I'll be fine. As soon as that EMP goes off, Sam and the first insertion group deploys."

Their was an odd noise and the communications crackle and squeaked. "That was the EMP. Rear door opening."

As soon as the deployment door was opening, Falcon zipped out and into the night air. "Launching drone;" said Falcon and one of the agents pulled a tablet that showed the feed. "Switching to infrared vision. Doesn't look like there are any mercs on the roof. We're clear as far as that goes."

Cap nodded and asked, "I don't suppose you have some sort of fancy X-ray vision on that thing, do you, Sam?"

"Of course not! This isn't sci-fi, Cap! However, I can send a subsonic pulse through the building and use it like sonar."

Captain Rogers laughed. "Oh, my mistake."

From the cockpit came, "We're coming up on the parking garage - going to put you on an open top section. Get ready, back there."

The first team led by Cap and Jen dropped to the deck and immediately began moving tactically through the parking garage. Whenever they came on a mercenary, it was a simple matter of taking them out. They had barely made it into the main area before they were met by a large group of mercenaries who were ready for them. "Cap, you want a firearm?" asked one of the agents. After just a moment of hesitation, Captain America nodded and took the man's side arm. "Do I get one of those?" asked Jen as she stood behind a pillar. They all looked at her before one of them asked, "Do you know how to use one?"

"How hard can it be?" she asked with a shrug. The other agents looked at each other and returned fire - without giving her a gun. "Fine;" she said and a savage grin covered her face. "Cover me, boys;" and she leaped out. "Woah now, Jen!" called Cap but it was a little late. Much like her cousin, the Incredible Hulk, Jen was practically bullet proof as she barreled into the group of mercs, sweeping two of them to the side with one swing of her arms. Cap jumped out and flung his shield at another. No one really know how the thing worked but the way Stark and Pym explain it is that the vibranium allowed it to ricochet until it found a soft surface to stick in or it was caught - or just ran out of momentum. The shield bounced around until Jen saw it and snatched it out of the air, using it to smack another merc to the side before tossing it back to Cap who then used it bash another merc to the side. Within a minute, they were flattened and the SHIELD team was moving again. Jen was still grinning. Cap said, "Nice work. Next time, they'll expect that and will try to set a trap and Crossbones has methods of trapping the Hulk that I'm sure you'd be susceptible to. Keep it tight."

She nodded, still grinning widely. Captain Rogers chuckled. "You really are related to Bruce, aren't you?"

"Yes, but I'm undeniably better looking."

Cap chuckled as they hurried on. They came to one of the gates and there were several mercs and dozens of hostages. It was a standoff. The mercs were using some of the hostages as human shields. "Everyone stay calm;" Cap said to his team. A laugh came from the other direction and there was Crossbones in his regular black and white painted uniform and mask. "Hello, Captain America. I was wondering when SHIELD was going to show up with their favorite spangly super hero. Drop your weapons and only you'll die and these folks can go on with their lives when we leave."

"Why should we believe that?" asked Captain Rogers. Crossbones crossed his arms and said, "Simple, really. I have no need or use for massacring an airport full of people. Drop them."

Captain Rogers put his shield on his back and lifted his hands and the SHIELD Agents lowered their weapons, swinging them on their slings so that they were behind them. "Good, now call your other team off."

Cap hesitantly lifted his hand to his earpiece and was about to give a set of code words that let the other team know about the situation when the glass shattered and the three mercs who were holding guns to the heads of the civilians dropped. In threw the open window came Falcon and the SHIELD agents engaged more mercenaries who arrived. Jen ran to the civilians and put herself between them and the fire, shielding them with her body. Cap went straight for Crossbones, leading with his shield. Crossbones caught it on his gauntlets. "I've been waiting a long time for this, Cap."

Blades sprung from his gauntlets, which made the fight a whole lot more interesting. While this was happened, the SHIELD agents, Jen and Falcon were killing or subduing the mercenaries fairly quickly but they just kept coming. Seeing that everything was in hand, Jen ran towards Crossbones. Seeing her coming, Crossbones sidestepped and Jen collided with Cap, giving Crossbones the chance to kick the shield out of the way and driving his blades down towards him. Cap rolled to the side and came up with a hard knee to Crossbones' face mask, knocking him back hard. "What the hell is she, some kind of She-Hulk?"

Jen gave a feral smile and said, "I like that: She-Hulk."

"Stay back, Jen. You and the Agents need to secure the rest of this place. I got this joker;" said Captain America. She clearly wasn't happy about it. "Fine. you may want this."

She flung the shield, not at Cap but at Crossbones. Not expecting it, the Shield slammed into the mercenary leader and knocked him back into a pull. It went straight to Cap and, when he caught it, it jarred his arms and his feet skidded back almost a foot. "Damn, that smarted!"

Crossbones was up and after him again. "Let's dance, you son of a bitch!"

* * *

Hawkeye and Carter had managed to secure the terminal and several other areas, escorting the civilians out of the facility a few at a time. "I don't like this, Barton;" said Agent Carter, "clearly these hostages don't mean anything to Crossbones. He has a trick up his sleeves."

Hawkeye grunted and said, "He doesn't wear sleeves. But you're right; he probably has an agenda. Why the hell is he taking an airport anyway?"

That was the question. Suddenly, his ear piece chimed and one of the pilots of their quinjet said, "Sir, we just got word from the New York Field Office. Apparently a science lab in Pittsburgh was hit not a half hour ago. They stole a huge supply of a new experimental steroid."

"Are they still there?" asked Clint but he was sure of the answer already. "No. They were in and out in fifteen minutes. We don't know who they are and none of the known groups have taken credit for it."

Hawkeye sighed and said, "Well, we'll get his cleaned up and head over there next."

"Negative. Director Fury has ordered us home when we're done. He's sending Coulsin and his team to take care of the lab aboard a Globemaster."

Hawkeye was slightly relieved. He hated looking into scenes after it was already too late to do anything about it. It was boring and none of them were forensic experts. "Alright. Hey, do you still have that feed from the drone?" he asked one of the agents. The agent in question pulled out a tablet and checked it. "Yup. According to our subsonic pulse scan, they're all converging on Cap and Walter's location. Oh, Falcon's there too."

"Alright," said Hawk, "we're heading that way and helping any civilians we come across. Let's go."

* * *

Captain America was slowly but surely overpowering Crossbones. He had already broken the blades that came out of the mercenary's gauntlets and was now driving him back, blow for blow. After a massive kick that sent Crossbones back, he laughed and stood to his feet. "You're getting even better, then normal, Captain. Too bad it doesn't matter. You see, the reason we picked this airport is because it has a sizable population and we put a dirty bomb somewhere in the facility. So, if you want to stop me, that's fine but you and me, both our teams and a massive area of Pittsburgh to die. Or you let me escape and go find the bomb."

"You're full of it;" said Cap as he moved to engage. Crossbones laughed again and point to a nearby book store. "In there, Cap. I'll even show you."

Steve chewed his lip and cautiously followed the mercenary. In a storage closet was the bomb - and it was huge. "CS Gas; it's a little old fashioned, I grant you but the effect is still the same. It's a pretty simple system but I think it will take you some time."

Cap rushed him, smashed him with the shield and seemingly knocked him out before tapping into his comms. "Please tell me someone here can defuse a bomb."

"There's one in our group, Cap;" said Hawkeye. "We're coming to you."

"Right;" said Cap, "Everyone else, get to the quinjet and get out."

"No way!" said She-Hulk. "We're not leaving you behind!"

"Yes, you are; there is no need for all of us to die if this goes sideways."

Hawkeye and his team ran up and Cap ordered of them but the bomb tech away. "Wow, this is a pretty simple system. Give me a second, Captain."

The tech careful found the detonator and painstakingly opened it. "Oh please; Cap, you said it was a bomb, not a toy. Here;" and he snipped a couple wires with a tool and all lights on the detonator went out. "You'd think that someone with Crossbones's resources would be able to invest in a better device than this thing. Where is he anyway?"

Cap looked over to where he had laid out Crossbones and saw that he was gone. "Check the drone feed."

After a moment, the Agent said, "He's running for it - heading out onto the tarmac!"

Falcon yelled, "I got him!" and jumped out the window, his wings extending as he zipped off before anyone had the chance to stop him.

Falcon used his night vision goggles to spot Crossbones and dove after him. Feet first, he slammed into Crossbones, knocking him to the ground. "Stand down!" he demanded. Crossbones snorted and attacked. Sam Wilson, a former Air Force para-rescue man and talented in hand to hand combat, was quickly overpowered. Crossbones quickly beat down his offenses and, pulling a knife, plunged it into his side. "Give Captain America my regards;" muttered the mercenary before running. With the knife still in his side, Falcon took off and tumbled into the group of pursuing SHIELD agents led by Captain America. "Damn it, Sam!" Cap said in frustration. "Get me a medic here!"

The quinjet was on the way and the pilot hailed them. "Agent Carter and the bomb tech are staying here to keep an eye on the bomb until Coulsin and his team can pick it up on the way back from the lab."

"Get him on board. I'm going after Crossbones;" said Captain Rogers. "That's a negative, Sir. Director Fury wants you back at a Field Office."

It would have been easy for Captain America to just take off after Crossbones but he knew that Fury wouldn't tell him to end the pursuit unless it was very necessary. With a growl of frustration, Cap climbed on board. "We aren't going after him?" asked She-Hulk. "No. They want us back at him. We'll catch up with him another day."

The jet took off and the medic said, "Wilson is stable, sir. The knife got wedged between his third and fourth rib and stopped in before it could puncture his lungs."

Cap sighed with relief and pulled his helmet off and leaned back before glancing at Jen. She was still big and green. "So... you're the She-Hulk, huh?"

She smiled hugely and said, "Well it obviously fits, doesn't it? What else would I call myself?"

"I dunno - the Jade Giantess maybe?"

The She-Hulk laughed and shook her head. They were quiet for a bit before Cap said, "You know, if you're able, you can probably change back. Bruce usually does as quickly as possible after a mission."

"Bruce also wears a pair of giant purple pants usually. I'm wearing a skintight piece that would look comically large if I changed back to normal. No thanks."

Captain Rogers laughed and ceded the point. After a short pause, She-Hulk said casually, "So Cap I was wondering if you wanted to go out for drinks when we're done being debriefed and everything. We can talk about how well you think I did for my first mission and go from there."

Steve blushed and said, "I wouldn't mind talking about how you did but I'm gonna have say no to the drinks. Director Fury is going to want to get a personal briefing from me on this mission."

There was a bit of an awkward silence until Hawkeye said, "Hey Cap, why don't you go check on the pilots?"

Wordlessly, Cap went to the front. Quickly, Clint moved across to sit next to Jen and said, "Don't take it personal. He actually has a thing going on with Agent Romanoff right now. They're trying to keep it quiet but no one who's really close to them is being fooled."

Jen smiled at him and said, "Well that explains it. I thought it was something wrong with me - or maybe he batted for the other team."

Clint laughed and said, "No to both, She-Hulk. Hey, you mind if we call you Shulk?"

Jen cocked an eyebrow and didn't say anything but her displeasure was clear. "You got it. No Shulk;" said Clint. Cap came back and She-Hulk grinned at him. "So how did I do for my first mission?"

Captain America chuckled and said, "You did pretty good. In truth, it wasn't really an evaluation. I just wanted to be sure you wouldn't run or curl up and cry in the corner - not that I was really worried about that. I also wanted to see what you were capable of and I'm very impressed. I'll talk to the rest of the Avengers but I'm confident that you'll be accepted, but do you really want to get into this life? It's not easy. You could just be a brilliant lawyer and live a normal life."

Jen chuckled and said, "You could be an MMA fighter or some kind of sportsman or even just a spokesman for just about anybody. Hell, why not politics? Who wouldn't elect the famous Captain America and yet you jump into the fire on the front lines. Why is that?"

"Because I was made the way I am now to protect the freedom of the people of the United States of America. You became the way you are to save your life. I think you're making the right choice. As my favorite teenage webslinger says 'with great power comes great responsibility.'"

"Exactly. I learned the law of this country. I learned about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Before, I defended it in court and wanted to help those who needed representation. Now, I get to defend outside of the courtroom as well. I have to say that, at least when I'm hulked out, the latter is a lot more satisfying."

Steve laughed and said, "I like that. It might be a little premature but welcome aboard, Miss Walters."

"Oh I hate that crap."

* * *

The debriefing was pretty straight forward and quick and Steve was grateful for that. He was tired and sore. Despite the fact that he had overcome Crossbones, the mercenary had kicked the ever loving crap out of him. When all was said and done, Steve returned to his apartment in Brooklyn and got ready for day off - 'off' that he was on call for the next global or at least local catastrophe. He had forty-eight hours to himself providing nothing was going on.

With a sigh, Steve unlocked his door and went inside, putting his shield and a gym bag with his uniform in it beside the door. "Hello stranger;" came a sultry greeting from the couch. Turning around quickly, Steve saw Natasha was sitting there, wearing street clothes and reading a book, judging by the cover, was written in Russian. Steve sighed and went to sit next to her. "Well that was a hell of a day;" he said. Natasha put her book down and scooted closer, rubbing the front of his shoulder. "I wish I could have gone with you."

"I would have liked that too;" he replied. "Gotta say, though, Jen Walters would be a real asset to the team. Whenever Thor isn't here, which seems to be more often these days, and whenever we need a little extra muscle, having her around would be great. Not only that, having someone with legal knowledge would be pretty fantastic."

Natasha nodded. "Clint said she tried to invite you out for drinks."

Steve laughed tiredly and nodded. "And you said no;" said Natasha. It was a statement but it insinuated a question. Steve looked at her and said, "Of course. What, do you think I'm Tony Stark? I'm a one woman kinda guy."

She chuckled, "You're so old fashioned."

"I was born before WW2, Nat. By definition, I'm old."

Natasha laughed at that. "You sure don't act old. You know, I never said that we had to be exclusive, Steve. If you wanted to go out for drinks with Jen Walters and see where it went, I wouldn't have gotten mad."

"Yeah but it just wasn't how I was raised and most people I associated with had some pretty harsh words for players like that. You should have heard the things we said about Howard Stark behind his back. Look, Nat, whatever you decide to do, that's on you but while we're a, whatever we are, I'm not going to sleep with every woman in sight."

"Well that's very thoughtful and respectful of you;" she said before smiling and saying, "speaking of sleeping with people, maybe we should go take a nap. You did just get off a pretty intense mission after all."

"Am I actually going to be able to sleep?" asked Steve with a smile. Nat's eyes were gleaming as she hauled him to his feet. "Eventually;"

"Well go easy on me. Crossbones kicked the hell outta me."

"Awe, poor baby;" said Natasha with a wicked smile. "I'll make you feel all better."


	2. Chapter 2: Staten Island

**SHIELD Field Office**

She-Hulk circled Captain America in the training room. By rights, she should have literally been able to flatten him, Super Soldier Serum and all, with one punch. But, damn it, why couldn't she hit him? He was just so fast. Just when she thought she had him, he would spin out of the way and tag her a couple times. It never really hurt - unless he used his shield. Something with that vibranium made it seem like it hit harder than it did. The other Avengers were suited up and getting some training time in. Hank Pym, alias Giant Man, was now twelve feet tall and was working with the Hulk. Janet Van Dyne, alias Wasp, was working on hand to hand combat with Black Widow. Iron Man and War Machine were working on upgrading their armor and Falcon's wing suit. Sam Wilson was still recovering from his injuries. Hawkeye was working with a group of outstanding SHIELD agents, Bobbi Morse, Daisy Johnson, Sharon Carter and a newcomer named Scott Lang. Lang had been a very gifted thief and con man on the streets until Fury had picked him up, offering him a chance to change his ways and work for a greater good.

Cap slipped away from a heavy, two handed blow from Jen before lifting a hand and saying, "Hold up, Jen. Look, your strong and nearly indestructible but at some point, you're going to meet an opponent who is also very strong and capable of doing you harm so you're actually going to need to learn some fighting techniques."

Jen, who had been getting really frustrated, took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down as Cap stood beside and slightly in front of her, putting his shield in its usual place on his back and dropping into a basic fighting stance. "Now, you don't have to have your hands and feet like this, it's just how I prefer them. When you start to learn more, you'll be able to find out what fits you. Train with Natasha and with Clint too. They're exception fighters. Now..." and he began teaching her basic combinations, striking and kicking drills and so on. After an hour of steady going, Cap nodded with approval. "Very good. Anything else you want to learn?"

Jen chewed a lip and said, "What about locks and grappling techniques?"

Cap cleared his throat uncomfortably and looked over at Natasha, who was still working with Wasp. "Sure," he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. Jen smiled with pleasure and Cap began, trying to treat a tall, super strong and very attractive woman with her hair in a pony tail and in a body glove as he would another male Avenger or SHIELD Agent. It wasn't easy. "They say ninety percent of fights go to the ground but those are street fights and mix martial arts. In a real fight, you can't afford that or else, your opponent's buddy isn't going to skull stomp you while you're working a rear naked choke."

"Rear naked choke, huh?" said Jen with mild amusement, "what's that?"

Clearing his throat again, Cap explained, "It's where one person has their legs wrapped around their opponent's waist and an arm around their neck, using the other hand to lock it in place and push on the back of the head."

"Show me;" said Jen casually. They both sat down and Jen place herself between his legs with her back to him. Cap wrapped his legs around her waist, and one arm around her neck, explaining as he did. "Now, you have to be careful because one way to break this lock would be to get your legs over top of mine and simply arch your back. WOAH! Don't actually do it! You could snap my legs like dead sticks. You have the idea though. Alright one arm around the neck. Place that hand in the crease of the other elbow like so and then put the other hand on the back of the head like so. See?"

"It seems so simple;" commented Jen. Cap let go and said, "It does but actually getting an opponent to this point isn't easy and your have to be able to subdue them quick or else you leave yourself open to attack."

"Let me try;" she said and they switched places. Cap was focusing all his attention on her technique and not any of the distractions. "Alright, _ahem_ , legs around waist. Good and um... _ahem_ , pull me in close, yup like that. Good; now one arm around neck. _Ahem_ , yes just like that and um... _ahem_ , yup tucked into, nope in the seam, yup just like that and hand on the back of- yup you got it. Just like that."

Jen's body was shaking as she chuckled, "Calm down, Cap; we're trying to be professional here."

Captain America sighed as they both got up and he said, "You know, it isn't easy. I'm only ninety-seven years old and a young man is entitled to getting nervous in close quarters with an attractive woman, that's all."

"I'm six foot, seven inches and have green skin and dark green hair - not exactly the American standard for attractive. Wait, I'm sorry, did you just say ninety-seven years old?"

Cap chuckled and said, "Yeah. It's a long story. During WWII, I was trapped in ice and SHIELD and some brilliant scientists were able to take me out of it and bring me back to life. They say that the only reason they were able to was from the serum that made me Captain America. I guess I enjoy joking about it."

She-Hulk smiled and crossed her arms. "Okay, back to the part where you find green skin, green hair and a very tall woman attractive."

"Oh come on, Jen;" he said blushing and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "You're telling me you don't notice every guy in the room, including Hank, who's married, stealing glances at you in that body glove?"

"They are?" she said, looking around with surprise. Tony Stark and Clint Barton both casually turned their glances back to their work. Captain America laughed. Suddenly, their was a low thud above and everyone stopped. "What was that?" asked Jen. Captain America smiled and said, "It could be Thor. He drops by every now and again."

"Thor?" she said with large eyes and began fixing her pony tail, much to Cap's amusement. Less than a minute later, a tall, powerfully built, blond haired and blue eyed man in armor and carrying a hammer strode in with a broad grin, "Greetings, my fellow Avengers! How goes the hunt for the thieves of weapons and technology?"

Everyone crowded around him, shaking his hand and slapping his shoulder. Cap sighed and said, "They're in the wind, I'm afraid. Even SHIELD can't pick up anything on them."

Thor sighed. "That is grim news indeed, Captain. The Son of Coul said that you were engaging in warrior training. It seems I am right on time. What training are we working on now?"

Cap suddenly grinned and said, "Well I'm working with a new recruit and Stark and Rhodey are playing with their toys. The rest are just training."

"A new recruit?" said Thor his smile growing broader as he looked around. When he saw She-Hulk, he gave a low gasp and muttered, "By Odin's beard! Another Hulk and a woman! What is your name, my Lady?"

To everyone's surprise, Jen's cheeks went slightly brown with blushing and she chuckled and said, "My name's Jennifer Walters but they call me She-Hulk."

"It fits you. Are you as strong as my fierce friend Banner?"

She cocked her hip and said, "Want to find out, Thor Odinson?"

Everyone took several long steps back as Thor laughed and shed his gaudy cape and armor. "It would be my privilege and my pleasure, Lady Hulk."

"Oh trust me, the pleasure is all mine;" cooed She-Hulk as she dropped into a fighting stance. "JARVIS, record this;" murmured Tony and his armor's helmet began to glow from the eyes as the automated voice replied, "Of course, Sir."

It was spectacular. Thor learned quickly that he didn't have to coddle Jen since she sent him slamming hard into the titanium reinforced, concrete wall with a solid kick she had learned from Cap. With a gleeful grin, Thor leaped right back in and the spectators constantly winced and groaned in sympathy as they slammed into each other. However, Thor had be fighting for a lot longer than She-Hulk and it ended with him putting her in a lock and asking, "Do you yield, Lady Hulk?"

With a sigh of resignation, she said, "Yes, I yield."

Cap lifted a hand. "Hold on there, Thor. Alright, Jen, what you can do to escape from this lock is..." and he explained it. Thor cooperated with the lesson and smiled with pleasure as she neatly escaped. "The Captain is training you well, Lady Hulk. You do your teacher proud."

Cap blushed and She-Hulk grinned and said, "Thank you. Want to go another round?"

Hulk grunted and said, "Stop hogging Goldilocks, Cuz. Hulk wants to work with him."

Jen threw him a very rude hand gesture and Thor laughed in delight. "One more round with the lady and then you and I shall fight, friend Hulk. Come, Lady Hulk. Show me what the Captain has taught you."

While they went back at it, Natasha stepped over to Cap and said, "Want to go a couple rounds, Cap?'

Captain America grinned and dropped his shield to the side. "Sounds good."

A couple hours later, the training section ended abruptly when Nick Fury came over the intercom. "Avengers, assemble in the briefing room."

They all headed that way, Thor and Jen grinning ear to ear. "You are a formidable warrior, Lady Hulk. There are warriors in Asgard who could not stand against you - the sons and daughters of gods and warriors who would have no choice but to yield to you."

"If you have any more tips, I'd love to learn from you, say, in a private session?" asked She-Hulk with an alluring smile. Thor grinned and ignored a growl from Hulk as he replied, "I think that would be most beneficial for both of us, Lady Hulk."

"After the mission;" said Cap, all business now. In the briefing room, Director Nick Fury stood on a small dais, waiting for them. As they funneled in, "We have an abandoned Rand warehouse facility on Staten Island that we have learned is being used by a large group of extremely high tech terrorists. The group is unknown but the governor of the state of New York wants us to take them out. Our United States representative on the World Security Council ratified the request as well. So, the Avengers are going to have the full support of SHIELD. Cap, you can call the mission and how you do it is acceptable but you'll have six quinjets of Agents with you."

Tapping a few buttons, a three dimensional image of the warehouse showed up. It was huge, an old building constructed back in the thirties of steel and concrete. Captain Rogers paced around it, studying nearby buildings, approach routes and so on. "Show me a cross section on the building itself."

Inside was a massive open area with steel crossbeams. It was large enough to fit two Boeing 747 inside, side by side and it was wide open. There were no walls. "Can I get any sort of live feed in this? Can it show me what's going on right now?"

Tony went to the controls and said, "Hey JARVIS, what kind of readings can we get from the building right now."

"Coupling the Stark Satellite and triangulating cell towers in the area, we can use cellular devices and devices that use cell towers and other such technology, I can offer this to Captain Rogers:"

It showed a large number of dots in the building which cleared into individuals. "Of course, this doesn't show everyone since not all of them are carrying cellular devices. However, it does give you a very good idea of the numbers you're against;" said JARVIS. Cap studied it for over a minute before saying, "Two of the quinjets will drop teams on the roof. I want Tony, Rhodey, Hank and Janet to be with them. With another two, I want Jen and Bruce to go in on the ground. Their team will be for suppression. Please don't knock the building down. Natasha and I will go in the last group for more precise targeting and capture. Try not to damage the equipment either. The first four teams will insert simultaneously. Before we jump in, however, I want Sam to do a fly around and scout out the position. Sam, since you're still recuperating, I need you to stay out of the fight and give us reports from the outside."

"What about I, Captain?" asked Thor. Cap slapped his forehead and blushed deeply. "Sorry, Thor; I forgot you were here. You've been gone so much that I got used to planning without you. Let me see..."

He studied the plan before saying, "Back here are loading docks. One of the ground teams are going to be entering here while another enters from the front entrance. Thor, I want you to drop in while the third and fourth teams led by myself and Widow enter. We don't know what we're facing here so be cautious. Now, did I forget anyone else?"

Fury nodded with satisfaction. "When you've secured the area, report to Coulson. I'm going to be taking the Helocarrier with Assistant Director Hill. Apparently we have a summit coming up in Geneva that they want me at. Coulson is in charge until we return."

"Understood, Director;" said Cap before turning to the Avengers. "Gear up; we leave in twenty minutes."

* * *

The guinjets were on the launch pads with their crews and contingents of tactical agents. Iron Man, War Machine and Falcon were standing nearby, ready to fly independently. Iron Man walked over to Cap and asked quietly, "You sure this is the best course of action? We have the means to just take out the guys inside and leave the equipment undamaged."

"What if they have hostages, Tony? JARVIS wouldn't be able to pick them up since I doubt they were allowed to keep their phones. The less we know, the more careful we need to be. That's why I'm having the Hulks go in first to catch bullets and the Tac Teams can engage relevant targets."

Tony looked skeptical but didn't argue. Captain America boarded the Jet. All around them, the other jets were taking off and they headed towards Staten Island in a formation with War Machine, Iron Man and Falcon. At the start, it began smoothly. Two of the jets hovered above the roof and the agents aboard repelled down. Two more dropped their passengers to the ground. Simultaneously, four of the six teams dropped in and engaged. Cap expected to hear gunfire but there was none and suddenly, Iron Man said, "Cap, get in here. We have a situation."

Cap and his team entered and were surprised to find a large group of people who looked terrified. They weren't armed for the most part but there were twelve people who were on their knees with zip ties on their wrists. Cap looked around and yelled, "Who's in charge here?"

A man came up and said, "That's me, Captain. What's this about?"

Cap pointed to the apparent captives. "What is _this_ about?"

The man was quiet before saying, "Citizens arrests; they're dangerous criminals."

"What are they're crimes and why did the governor of the state seem to think that you're a terrorist group?"

"Terrorist group?" said the man. He pointed the captives and said, "These people are mutants. They have powers that even the Avengers can't imagine and they're going to kill people if we don't stop them."

Now Captain America understood and he growled. "Oh I got it; you're the Friends of Humanity, right?"

The man didn't reply. Turning to Iron Man, he said, "Call NYPD and have them come here to make arrests on charges of kidnapping, battery and assault."

From the comms came Sam Wilson's voice. "Bad news, Cap; you may want to add human trafficking to those charges. I have a container ship coming up and they have Latverian markings."

A cold anger began to rise within Cap as he turned back to the leader of the Friends of Humanity. "Why are you selling them to the Latverians?"

"Because they know how to deal with mutant scum there; Victor Von Doom said he would pay for mutants and we contacted his people. Twelve less that we red blooded Americans have to deal with."

"Well that adds human trafficking to the charges; congrats, gentlemen, you're all going to jail for a long time for this."

SHIELD Agents began cuffing and zip tying their hands and gathering them up. Cap went over to the twelve people kneeling on the ground. Most of them were young, no older than college kids. Pulling a knife from his belt, he cut the zip ties. "Are any of you hurt?"

Some of them had injuries from when they were abducted but all were just superficial. "Cap, we got another jet coming in. It's black and has stealth capabilities. They call themselves the X-men and say they're here to help;" said Falcon.

Captain America sighed. "I want all SHIELD Agents to go around the captives. Avengers, assemble on me. I don't expect trouble but we should be ready."

Wilson called over the comms, "You know about them?"

"We've actually worked with them a couple times but they tend to focus on mutant matters rather than the good of all."

Through the main entrance of the old warehouse strode a group of eight individuals. They wore black, yellow and blue and had black backed red X's on their uniforms. The man who seemed to be in charge, a tall man with a red visor on his face said, "Captain America, I didn't know they were using the Avengers and SHIELD for general law enforcement now. We aren't looking for trouble. We just want to pick up our students."

"We didn't either, Cyclops. So these are some of the Professor's students? You may want to get them looked at. They have a couple scrapes and bruises."

Cyclops and the others cast their glances over at the members of the Friends of Humanity. "We can take them off your hands too, if you want?" growled a shorter but powerfully built man with black hair and sideburn. "Cut it out, Wolverine;" muttered Scott before he turned back to Captain America. "What's going to happen to them?"

"Hopefully the cops are on there way. I had no idea that the Friends of Humanity were this bold. I mean we saw protests and even some minor riots but nothing like this before."

Cyclops nodded and said, "They're getting bolder. Since Senator John Kelly is calling for a registration of mutants and men like Thaddeus Ross and Glenn Talbot calling basically for all enhanced, super powered, exceptionally trained or overly brilliant men and women to be registered as well, they think they can really get away with it. Wait and see on the news tomorrow, Captain. One or all of them are going to simply say that this was caused by fear of unregistered peoples with abilities who need to be regulated so that we can know if they're dangerous, that they were the victims and not the teenagers and young adults that they assaulted and kidnapped."

Captain America rubbed his temples before asking mildly, "How did this happen anyway?"

One of the younger girls who were kidnapped said, "They got us in a parking garage after knocking the Professors Summers out."

Captain America nodded. "Well you need to stay so that the kids can file a report but when the cops get here, we're out. This is for local law enforcement, not SHIELD and the Avengers."

It soured his mouth to say it but according to the law and the policies of SHIELD. It did feel good to be able to help some kids like that. One of them looked over at the Hulks and asked, "Are they mutants too?"

She-Hulk smiled and Hulk replied, "Not naturally, no;"

* * *

Several hours later, Captain Rogers was sitting with Agent Phil Coulson while the latter was on the phone with the governor and then the United States representative to the World Security Council, asking why SHIELD and the Avengers were used like local law enforcement. The governor said that he had been contacted with information stating that the group at the Rand warehouse was a terrible international terrorist group and recommended SHIELD. The governor had called the American Rep on the Council who had contacted Fury. When asked where this intel came from, the governor claimed that it was from a CIA agent. At that point, Coulson looked at Cap and said, "This is a mess. Director Fury is going to throw a fit when he gets back."

Captain Rogers didn't say anything, his brow creased with concentration. "Cap?" asked Coulson, snapping him out of his contemplation. "I don't like it, Phil. A mess like this is just too... well... weird. Why did we get okay'd for this without more intel?"

Phil sat down heavily and said, "I don't know. Oh and by the way, the Latverian ship was impounded and we found another forty mutants on it. They're being sent home now. I've received the debriefing from your team. They were rearing and ready to go."

"So am I;" murmured Steve. He wanted to help in more than just international situations. With a sigh, he stood to his feet. "Need anything else, boss?" he asked. Phil Coulson shook his head and Cap walked out.

Steve headed towards the garage, his gym bag on his back with his shield. "Going somewhere?"

He turned to see Natasha sitting next to her SUV. "I was going to head home but I take it you have a better idea."

"Let's get coffee and see a movie or something. I crave normality right now."

Steve chuckled and tossed his SHIELD and bag into his car before opening her door for her. "Aww... so sweet;" she cooed before getting in and Steve hurried around to the passenger side.

* * *

Jen was staying in a pent house apartment not far from Stark Tower. Tony was paying for it himself as part of the "employment agreement" for working for him as the Avengers. It was one that legal had brought up to avoid protests about slavery or something like that. Now, she was getting paid well for her time, whether she was in the field or training. However, her social life wasn't much to speak of. The other Avengers seemed to have social lives and she wanted one too. After showering, Jen got dressed to kill, deciding that she wanted to party. She didn't make it far however. There was a knock at her door. Frowning, Jen went to the door and was surprised, pleasantly so, to see Thor, wearing completely normal, American clothing - jeans, a t-shirt and a zip up sweat shirt. "Oh... hi..." she said, blushing suddenly. When not in her hulk persona, Jen was much shyer and less secure just like her cousin Bruce. "Good evening. I hope that I am not disturbing you, Lady Hulk. Um... is there another way that you'd prefer that I address you?"

Jen smiled and stepped to the side, inviting him in. "Well my normal name is Jennifer Walters but if you'd like, you can call me Jennifer or Jen. I was actually just about to go out and get a couple drinks."

Thor looked slightly disappointed. "Oh, I apologize. I don't want to disturb your plans."

Jen quickly said, "Oh it wasn't really a plan. It was actually just an after thought when I got home."

"Oh I see. The truth is when I'm here on Mitgard, I'm not really sure what to do with myself. Sometimes, Stark and the Captain and Banner and I go out at night but I think they're all indisposed tonight. I was hoping I could trespass on your time. Your cousin told me that you're new to New York and I'm not so familiar with it myself."

Jen felt her stomach flutter and she smiled. "I'd be happy to. What would you like to do?"

To her surprise, the tall, blond haired demigod blushed slightly and said, "In truth, I'm not really sure. Stark talks about a date and mentions things like expensive restaurants or going to Broadway but I don't have a lot of American currency at the moment so doing things that require any amount of it is out of the question."

Jen grinned as she grabbed a purse and her phone and said, "No it isn't. In these days in the United States of America, women can pay for dates too. What would you like to do?"

Thor looked self conscious about it but allowed her to take his arm and lead him down the hall towards the elevator. "Well I remember the last time I was here, Captain Rogers and I had, what are they called again, hot dogs? They were delicious though he had to ensure me that they were made of either pork or beef and not actually made of dogs."

Jen laughed as the elevator door opened for them. "Sounds great. The best hot dogs on the planet come from New York hot dog stands. What else did you have in mind?"

"Well I heard Miss Van Dyne talking to Agent Romanoff about dancing. I've never really danced before - at least not here on Earth. I assume it's different here than it is on Asgard."

"Well when did you dance on Asgard?"

Thor chuckled and his eyes unfocused as he remembered, "During celebrations, we danced and we displayed feats of skill. There was once a time that my brother Loki and I accidentally demolished a statue of our grandfather Boar."

Suddenly, he sobered slightly. Jen nudged him. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yes. It's just that my brother betrayed us all. It's how the Avengers were formed actually. He tried to turn Banner against us but we found him out and he is now locked in a cell in Asgard. That, of course, is after he attempted to unleash the armies of Einherjar. It took all of Father's bargaining skill to convince Hela to allow Loki to face punishment in Asgard and not Hel and Niffleheim."

Jen studied him before shaking her head and murmuring, "I really need to catch up on my Nordic mythology. Anyhow, let's go dancing. Here on Earth, or Mitgard as you call it, we dance for no reason at all."

She waved down a taxi and it took them to a club, which also happened to have a hot dog stand outside of it. "How many would you like? The sky is the limit - up to four."

Thor chuckled. He was pretty hungry. "Four it will be and I promise that I will repay you with a lavish dinner before I return to Asgard."

Jen smiled and reached for her wallet. "I'll hold you to that, Thor."


	3. Chapter 3: The Avengers - Off Duty

**0800 - Steve Roger's Apartment**

For the first time in a while, things were pretty quiet. Steve was in the kitchen cooking up a large mess of scrambled eggs in one pan, a dozen sausages in another and a pair of bagels were in the toaster getting just a little crispy. Natasha chuckled and purred, "My, my - aren't we domesticated today. You look so cute in flannel pants"

Steve turned to look at her with a smile. "Not even close as cute as you look in my flannel shirt."

Natasha looked down at herself. The matching button down shirt to Steve's flannel shirt went down to her mid-thighs, covering her assets and such - except that the top four buttons were completely undone. No, cute was not the correct word for it. Standing, Natasha went around the table and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her weight against him with a smile. "I really wasn't going for cute wearing this."

Steve cleared his suddenly dry throat. "What - _ahem_ \- what look were you going for?"

Natasha smiled and pulled him gently down until his lips fused against hers. The ding of the toaster was the only thing that prevented the passionate make-out session from turning into another round of passionate sex. Despite the fact that they were both totally up for it, they were also both quite hungry. Steve cleared his throat and put the sausage on a plate and the eggs in a large serving bowl before spreading cream cheese on the bagels. As they ate, Natasha asked, "So what should we do today? We still have another thirty-six hours of leave."

Steve chuckled and said, "Well I do need to get a work-out in at some point. I can't afford to get flabby, even on a three day block of leave."

Natasha all but purred, "Mmm, that would be just tragic wouldn't it? For you to lose your magnificent body like that."

Steve blushed, still getting used to her flattery. "Care to join me? Not that you need it. I just want to see you in those really tight workout clothes you wear."

"Hmmm, any excuse to see me in those;" she said with a sultry smirk. "Sure, I'll join you. Maybe we can get some hand to hand combat in as well. I do love rolling around with you."

Cap groaned and began eating faster. It was getting very clear that his lover wanted more attention before they got any work out it. "Maybe after our workout, we can hit the showers. You know, you scrub my back, I'll scrub yours?"

She was leaning forward now with a gorgeous if utterly salacious grin on her face. "Maybe when we're done with that, you can apply some lotion for me. You know how dry my skin can get and how much I hate it when that happens."

That was more than Steve could handle. He was moving in seconds and Natasha was barely to her feet when he was kissing her, scooping her up and carrying her towards his bedroom. "I like this workout better anyway;" said Natasha before kissing him hard again. In the end, they never wound up leaving Cap's apartment and yet, they were both very sore by the time they had to head back to the Avenger's tower.

* * *

 **Same Day - 0800 - Jen Walter's Penthouse**

Thor watched Jen as she went around the apartment - hulked out and completely naked. In her hulked out form, she was less ill tempered than her cousin but was also much more flirtatious. Neither she nor Bruce could figure out exactly why that was and, at least in her She-hulk form, she didn't particularly care. Thor, garbed only in the boxer shorts he had purchased on one of his first visits to Mitgard, was fascinated by her. She was strong, breathtaking and a skilled warrior. It was everything he respected about a woman. Suddenly, she was right their again, straddling his lap. "Would you like anything to eat, Thor?" she asked as she ran a green hand through his longish blond hair. "It is hard to even think of eating considering our current positions, Jennifer. Perhaps I can interest you in eating after your other appetite is sated."

Jen smiled a seductive smile and said, "In this form, that appetite will likely never be sated so if it gets to the point when you're too hungry, let me know."

Thor cocked a rather bushy eyebrow and said, "I am Thor Odinson of Asgard. It would take many, many days for me to become too hungry for any activity. How long can you maintain that form before you require sustenance?"

Jen grinned and said, "I'd be willing to bet that it's longer than you can."

"You are so like your cousin - everything is a competition, Jennifer. Very well but we only have until the day after tomorrow."

It took them only about six hours to decide that taking a break for food, water and perhaps bathing would be a wise idea. Jennifer reverted to her regular form and felt a little embarrassed in doing so since she was much smaller than Thor. Not only that but she found herself very, very sore from the transformation and from there rigorous activities. Thor thought her shyness endearing. "Dear Jennifer, I knew what to expect when we started this. Why is it that you are embarrassed?"

She shrugged self-consciously as she rung her wet hair out. "I guess I'm still getting used to it - my attitude while I'm, how does my cousin put it? While I'm the other girl? It's just so other than when I'm like this."

Thor chuckled and leaned against the door frame as she continued to dry her hair. After a long pause, he said, "Your cousin was much like this when I first met him as well - always so embarrassed and concerned about how he was and is as the Hulk. The truth is, Jennifer, whether you are as tall as I and have green flesh or your are much smaller and have fair flesh, your are a very beautiful woman and I am sure that you will be able to come to terms with yourself after some time. We all had to in order to embrace our purpose."

Jennifer turned a looked at him skeptically. "What do you have to reconcile, Thor?"

Thor gave a small, sad and even perhaps self-conscious smile. "I have to reconcile the fact that, despite my duty to rule as king of all the realms whenever my father goes into the Odin sleep, I love this one and the people of it above all the other realms. I have a duty to all realms and yet, were it my choice, I would remain here to protect Mitgard."

Jennifer looked at him closely. The mixed affection and sadness in his eyes bespoke his sincerity. "You know, Captain America told me something on the way back from our first mission - well my first mission anyway. With great power..."

"...comes great responsibility. He is quite fond of that saying. Yes I know that my responsibility is to all the realms but that realization does not lesson the pain. Before long, I fear I must needs leave this realm and will remain away for many years."

Jennifer studied him before running a hand along his cheek. "And yet we know that if anything were to come to Earth that we would need your help against, you would be here as fast as that rainbow bridge of yours would allow."

Thor chuckled and said, "You've been studying our culture I see. Very impressive. Now, in truth, I'm am quite famished. Perhaps we can have an evening meal and then, if you are up for it, go out for a late night stroll in your wonderful city."

Jennifer smiled triumphantly and said, "Alright, let's go."

* * *

 **Same Day - 0800 - A Small diner in Queens**

Bruce Banner was reading his most recent notes on gamma radiation study when a voice interrupted him. "Still working on the same old puzzle, Bruce?"

With a smile, Bruce looked up and stood to his feet. "I'm still looking for a way to undo this whole thing - in case the world doesn't need the Hulk or the Hulk becomes too dangerous to be a benefit. How are you doing, Betty?"

Betty Ross, a lovely young woman with a mind as beautiful as her features, smiled and hugged him. With a polite motion from Bruce for Betty to sit, they both took their seats. After a long moment of just gazing at one another, Betty gave a small smile and said, "You look good, Bruce. Still a little skinny but overall, you look like you're doing well. How goes the Avenger thing?"

Bruce rubbed his temples with a sigh. "Well I can control it for the most part now - turning into and out of the Hulk, I mean. Even when I'm the other guy, I have a good amount of control. Even so, it would just take the wrong situation or facing the wrong enemy to make that control snap."

"You're too hard on yourself and you don't give yourself enough credit, Bruce;" said Betty quietly, resting a hand on top of his. "You are the bravest and most noble and strongest person I know - and I mean _you,_ Bruce - not the Hulk. You have a terrible burden that you didn't take on willingly but still endure with grace and with responsibility."

Bruce smiled self-deprecatingly. "For over a year, I was running, trying to find the best possible way to avoid stress and conflict situations. I had gone three hundred and seventy-one days, twelve hours, twenty-four minutes and thirteen seconds without an incident when Loki showed up."

"Loki? Like the Norse god of mischief?" asked Betty with interest. Bruce chuckled. "Yes, the very same. He was trying to use me as a way to make himself look like a guardian god - wanting to unleash the Hulk on the United States - specifically Washington D.C. itself. He wanted to show up, defeat me and then use the army of Valhalla to conquer the country and, eventually, the world. The Avengers united, stopped me and then managed to defeat Loki and his army. Apparently Thor's father had to negotiate with Hella pretty strenuously to make sure that Loki would serve justice in Asgard and not with her."

Betty's face looked slightly confused. Bruce blushed and said, "I'm sorry. That was a lot to throw at you."

"I followed most of it, I think, but why tell me all this?"

Bruce smiled and said, "Because I think it's only fair that I keep you up to date on my life considering everything we've been through."

Betty looked away and said with just a hint of bitterness, "You don't owe me anything, Bruce."

"But I think I do;" insisted Bruce. There was so much more he wanted to tell her but he couldn't - not with his current condition. Betty took one of his hands in both of hers and said, "You know I love you, Bruce. I still don't understand your reasons that we can't be together."

Bruce sighed. It was an age old conversation, one that came up every time they saw each other. "Betty, it would be too dangerous for you."

"But why? You yourself said that you can control it now."

Bruce shook his head. "Only mostly. After Loki broke my concentration and meddled with my mind, I'm not so confident anymore. All it would take is the right buttons being pushed at the right time and I could kill you and everyone around us."

Betty smiled and shook her head. "No, I don't think so, Bruce. I've seen the other guy. I've faced him in the middle of conflict and all he's ever done is protect me. All _you've_ ever done is protect me."

He was silent for some time before sighing and saying, "You know how I feel, Betty - and you know that I can't take that risk, at least not yet. Maybe some day, if I can reverse this or gain one hundred percent control despite circumstances, we can finally be together."

Betty looked down. The conversation ended as it always did and just like every other time, she was heart broken. Bruce took her hands and said, "Hey, it's not so bad. I think I'm close to either or both of those situations coming true. There _is_ hope, Betty. There really is."

She looked up with a smile but didn't reply. The rest of the morning was sent talking about normal things - families, work and the like. When the time came for them both to part ways, Betty hugged Bruce and pulled him into a kiss. "I love you;" she whispered before hurrying down the street.

* * *

 **Same Day - 1000 - The Avenger's Tower**

Having two brilliant minds in the same room isn't always a bright idea. In this case, however, it could be anything from fantastic to devastating. Tony Stark and Hank Pym was a particularly volatile mix. They were both narcissistic and arrogant and brilliant and most of the time, could work just fine together - especially when Pepper Pots and Janet Van Dyne were there to temper them.

Tony was working on another suit of armor - this one meant for underwater use and could go over his standard suit and, as usual, Hank was working on experimenting with his Pym particles. It was an odd thing that they were actually being more amiable than usual, discussing science and such. After a short silence at one point, Pym called out, "You know, Stark, JARVIS is a really brilliant system. How did he get that way?"

"Oh it's been almost a lifetime of work. He was the semi-intelligent system that monitors and keeps control of all of my homes and this tower. Originally, he just obeyed commands like turning on the TV or locking the doors. Now, however, he helps me regulate my armor and just about a huge amount of my life. The way he's able to do all this is that I gave him a huge amount of memory and a program that allows him to learn essentially. By detecting patterns in a person's life or, in the case of the Avengers, in people's lives, he can get an idea of preferences. He is even a great conversationalist sometimes, right JARVIS?"

Suddenly, from many different tiny speakers in the room, a automated voice said, "If you say so, Sir. You certainly don't converse with me very much any more. Too many people around, I suppose."

Hank Pym chuckled and said, "You know, if you were to upgrade him and give him enough information, you might be able to create true artificial intelligence. Think about it. If we were to do that then we could handle threats before they became so big that SHIELD and the Avengers would be in for difficult fights and conflicts."

Tony chuckled too and said, "Maybe but isn't that pretty dangerous, Hank? What if we were to create some sort of artificial intelligence? What happens if it gets too intelligent and wonders why it needs to take orders? How do we ensure it remains benevolent and doesn't become malevolent?"

Pym waved that away dismissively. "Even with artificial intelligence, we can put in safe guards."

"Ah, but would that be true intelligence then? JARVIS, at any time, can control all of my Iron Man suits - all twenty-two and three quarters of them;" and he patted his newest piece of work. "but he can only do so within certain parameters and if given explicit commands - each of which can be countermanded at any time. Now, if we could take that and use it for defensive systems, that would be something."

Hank shook his head. "It would be too limited. Look, ever since we discovered Thor, his brother and this other 'realm' as they put it, called Asgard, we know that there are possible threats out there - threats that may be too much for even us Avengers with all our powers and tech. We need something that can back us up - or, more preferably, we can back up."

"It's still and aweful risk, Hank."

Hank chuckled as he continued to work. "Everything's a risk, Stark. Anything worth investing in is a risk. You should know that. You are a business man after all."

"Yes but is the risk worth the reward or are would we be building ourselves an enemy."

That brought Hank up for just a moment before he shrugged. "Well we'd never know until we tested it, right?"

They continued debating this for some time, going over the pros and cons of artificial intelligence long into the day, only taking a break from their work when Pepper and Janet came to collect them for lunch at one o'clock and starting right back up when they returned.

* * *

 **Same Day - 1000 - The SHIELD Field Office - New York City**

Clint Barton and Sam Wilson watched as several groups of SHIELD's best agents trained. The hope was to turn them into and official Avenger's support squad. The current selection consisted of Sharon Carter, Bobbi Morse, Scott Lang, Grant Ward, Daisy Johnson, Martin Reyna, Mike Collins and two other high performing agents. The man who would be in charge was Phil Couslin - a very high level agent and one of Fury's most trusted agents. He stood beside the two Avengers and observed. "They're all good. Marksmanship is all well above average, unarmed combat is too. With the exception of Lang, they all seem to be ideal agents and even Lang has the potential. What do you both think?" asked Couslin. Barton liked the look of all of them and said so and Sam said, "Well until we see them in action, we won't know for sure. We also need to teach them to work as a team. Even if they are stellar agents on their own, we need to see how they can work together and then together in support of the Avengers."

Couslin nodded. It was a fair point. Suddenly, the intercom blared, "Agent Couslin, Clint Barton, Sam Wilson - report to the command center."

"Uh-oh;" murmured Sam. Clint snorted in amusement as they began to head that way. Director Fury and Assistant Director Hill were looking down at a map and things suddenly felt grim. "What's going on, Director?" asked Coulsin. "There have been several energy spikes throughout the planet and strange objects have been detected. We don't know what it is or where it came from but we need to investigate. We have gotten calls from each country they landed in requesting assistance."

"So I take it that we're going to summon the Avengers?" asked Couslin. To his surprise, Fury shook his head. "No. Hawkeye and Falcon can handle this with their new SHIELD team. Start with the object in the Canadian wilderness - right here;" and he pointed to an area on the map. A set of coordinates popped up. "It should be in that area. We'll go from there."

Barton and Wilson looked at each other uncomfortably. Coulsin clasped his hands in front of him. "I'll get our agents ready. You two should go get your equipment and meet us on the roof. We'll be taking one of the quinjets."

They nodded and took their leave. As soon as they were out of the command center, Falcon took his cell phone and called Steve Rogers. "Hey man; sorry if I'm interrupting anything. Hawkeye and I are heading on a minor mission. Something about an object and energy signature. Nothing to worry about but I figured that I'd let you know."

Steve's voice sounded slightly breathless and strained. "Oh. Thanks Sam. Let me know when you guys get back and call if you need - Natasha! What are you-"

Suddenly, Natasha Romanoff's voice interrupted, "Caps busy, boys. He's gonna have to let you go."

The line went dead and Sam chuckled. "They were doing it weren't they?" asked Barton with a chuckle. "Oh yeah. Natasha apparently stole the phone and hung up."

Both were laughing when they got to the armory.


	4. Chapter 4: Old Friend

**Manhattan - 1100**

Jen hurried down the street, a grocery bag under each arm. She wasn't sure how long Thor would be on Earth so she wanted to display her cooking skills for him. Mostly, she wanted to show off for him but she also thought it was a great way to spend more time with him while he was there. She had everything she needed - wild boar, potatoes, the works for homemade bread and a dozen other things. The recipe was just one google search away and she would be able to wow the god with her skills. Smiling at the thought, she picked up he pace when screams came from the bank across the street. Out through the doors came a dozen men in tech suits of some kind. One of them swatted a camero out of the way like it was nothing. Sighing, she turned to a street performer and said, "Watch these. If you steal anything, I will know."

With that, she set her jaw and focused her aggressive emotions. With the sounds of tearing cloth, she grew, turned green and growled. Her clothes were shreds - all but a very stretchy sports bra and spandex pants. "Hey boys, that's not yours!"

With a leap, she slammed one of them into another. For a second, it seemed like it was going to be an easy clean up - until one of the slammed her in the ribs with enough force to smash her into the side of the bank. The fight changed then. With the element of surprise lost, Jen was in for a hard fight. They couldn't hurt her terribly but there were enough of them to keep her pinned and five of them wailed on her at a time while the others kept an eye out for cops. Jen was getting madder and madder and yet she really couldn't do anything about it. They had her clamped to the ground with some kind of hydraulic presses and she couldn't get the momentum or focus enough to get them off of her while they were slamming into her head, chest and stomach.

"Didn't your mothers ever teach you it's wrong to hit a lady?" came an overly cheerful voice out of the air. Something slammed hard into one of the thugs and the others halted their assault. It was enough for Jen to rally and she managed to focus her strength, freeing one of her arms and swinging out, swatting several of the others to the side. The last thug grappled with her before a line of sticky fluid hit his back and he shot upward with a confused yell. Jen was up and back at them. Remembering some of her lessons with Cap, she examined the suits for weaknesses. They weren't hard to find - the hydraulic pistons. She rushed one of them and tore at one of the pistons. It crumpled and the pressurized fluid sprayed out, causing Jen to snap her hand back with a cry. "Easy there, lady. You should be more careful about ripping apart things under pressure like that. You could do some serious damage;" quipped the voice of a man in red, black and blue tights who was firing the sticky white fluid from his wrists, gumming up the hydraulic systems of two of the thugs.

"Oh really?" she growled. Quickly, she ripped the hydraulic fluid reservoirs off another of the thug's suit completely and smashed it over the helmeted head of another. When three tried to gang up on her again, one was sent sprawling as the little man in red and blue swung around a poll with enough momentum to smash him. The other two hesitated and were flatten by She-Hulk.

Minutes later, they were down and out and the police were stripping the men of their tech suits. They questioned She-Hulk, who was still in her seven foot tall green form. They questioned the red and blue guy too as his hung upside down with his arms crossed on a light pole. That done, She-Hulk examined the parts of hydrilics and tech that the thugs had used to rob the bank. With a soft thud, the other hero was there. "Tech like this has been showing up all over New York City;" he said. There was no cheerfulness in his voice now and Jen took a second to examine him. He wasn't that tall or huge and bulky with muscle but there was certainly plenty of that there. Judging by his voice, he also couldn't be much older than a eighteen or nineteen. "You're the Spider-man. Cap talks a lot about you."

He looked at her and she thought she could barely detect a smile under the mask. "Yeah we've done some stuff together - crime fighting I mean. So... are you related to Doctor Banner?"

"Cousin, actually; he gave me a blood transfusion;" she replied as she squatted down to look at the tech. "So you see these a lot these days, Spider-man?"

The kid sobered again. "Yeah, I do unfortunately. There's a small group of us trying to figure out where the weapons are coming from and how the mob is getting their hands on them. They look like they could be Hammer Tech or maybe from the Roxxon Corporation. Hell, they could even be from Oscorp or Stark Industries though I kinda doubt it."

Jen straightened and stretched, "Well I'll let the Avengers know but they can't do anything about it unless the government invites them in these days. According to Cap and Stark, you do great work."

The kid nodded and stood awkwardly. It looked like he was trying not to look at her. She looked down and remembered her current state of dress. It could definitely be considered provocative even though she didn't intend it that way. With a smirk, she asked casually, "Something wrong, Spider?"

"No, no; nothing wrong. Just examining this crap."

She chuckled and said, "Well it was fun working with you; maybe we can do it again sometime. I promise next time to wear more clothes."

"Don't trouble yourself on my account;" he quiped. Suddenly, a call came for him. "Hey Spider, we got a drug shipment supposedly heading towards Queens right now. If you're done flirting with the nice lady, we should probably get back to work."

It came from a young woman dressed all in black and white leather with platinum blond hair. If anyone was dressing for seductiveness it was this girl. Spider-man jumped to a wall and climbed up as fast as he could, calling over his shoulder, "Nice working with you. Tell Cap I said hi."

Jen crossed her arms and watched as the other girl wrapped her arms around him from behind and he took off, swinging into the distance.

* * *

 **SHIELD Field Office - 1400**

Steve and Tony were standing over a diagram of somewhere in the Canadian wilderness. Clint and Sam hadn't been heard from in way too long and that was never a good sign. "We can't exactly just go unless we want to piss off the Canadian government;" said Tony. Steve knew he was unfortunately right. "Do we know anyone who would be willing to work with us?"

Tony scratched his chin. "I mean, I know some Canadian superheroes and all but I don't quite think that's going to cut it. We'll need the invite of someone from the government - unless you're not worried about U.S. relations with Canada."

Cap grimaced. In truth, he wasn't but he also knew that doing this would just bring SHIELD and the Avengers under more government scrutiny. Quietly, Tony pulled him to a darkish corner of the room. "Listen Cap, I know that you're a boy scout and all for the rules and regs and all, but we need to do something."

Cap nodded slowly. After a moment, he said, "Alright. Look, Tony, we can't use the Avengers but I have a couple ideas. If Nick or anyone else asks where I'm off to, just tell them I'm meeting some old friends."

Tony didn't like it. He wanted to know what was going on with his team at all times. However, he also trusted them - at least to an extent. "Just keep me informed as best you can, Steve."

Captain America nodded and headed towards the door, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He was dialing when a cheerful voice said, "Hey Steve; where are we going?"

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Steve turned to see Natasha standing there, leaning casually against the wall. With a chuckle, he waggled a finger at her. "You need to stop sneaking up on people like that, Tash. Besides, we're not going anywhere. I'm just going to meet an old friend."

Natasha just nodded and said, "I'm just going to pretend that I wasn't eavesdropping the whole time and ask 'really? Do I know them? Why are you meeting them? It isn't lunch time yet.'"

Steve chuckled and said, "I'm giving James Howlett - well, I guess he goes by Logan now, to see if he can give me a hand with something."

Black Widow quarked and eyebrow and Steve said, "Okay, fine; I'm hoping he'll help me look for Sam and Clint in Canada on the down low so that SHIELD and the Avengers to catch political heat."

"And you think that the Wolverine can help with that?"

Steve nodded. "He has duel citizenship between the U.S. and Canada."

Natasha nodded and shrugged. "Alright. Give him a call and see if he'll meet us and we'll go from there."

"Wait a second;" protested Cap. "When was it decided that you were coming?"

"Oh about thirty seconds ago when you told me what the plan was. Why? Do you object?"

Steve was about to argue when he realized that he really had no argument or reason that she shouldn't come along so he shrugged and said, "Nope, not really."

Steve headed to the armory while he called. A gruff voice answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Logan, this is Steve Rogers; how are you?" asked Cap. There was a low chuckle and he said, "I'm doing great, Cap; what can I do for you?"

Steve took a deep breath and said, "I have a couple of friends who disappeared in Canada - Clint Barton and Sam Wilson. Now, the area they disappeared is very wild and unpopulated so-"

"So you thought I'd probably know it like my claws, huh?" chuckled Logan gruffly. Steve sheepishly replied, "Well, yeah;"

The man on the other end laughed and said, "Alright, Cap; for a six pack of brew, a couple good cigars and an oil change on my bike, I'll meet you and we'll throw a plan together. You know that pub in Queens on Fifth, just a block from Main Street? Meet me there in twenty."

The phone clicked and Steve chuckled. "Well?" asked Widow. Steve grinned and said, "The pub on Fifth in Queens is where we're meeting him? Hey, what's this new uniform?"

They both looked at a dark blue and dark gray combat suit that was obviously for Captain America since it was a copy of his normal, star spangled uniform with different colors. Beside it was another vibranium shield, painted to match the gray and blue uniform. The shield was covered with a smokey, non shiny paint. "Oh, that's the new uniform that Tony designed for you. Want to see something awesome? Look at the control pad on the gauntlet."

Steve frowned and looked at the gauntlet, hitting a few of the buttons. Suddenly, a holographic image came up with several different options. Selecting the 'desert' option, Steve watched in fascination as the uniform turned to the light browns and tans of sand and scrub brush. "Very nice;" said Steve, selecting the 'urban' option. It turned into dark and light grays of concrete and cinder-blocks. "Oh I like this one;" he said as he turned it back to default - which was 'night' mode. Quickly, he packed the uniform and his new shied into a duffel bag while Natasha began pulling weapons from the wall.

It was easy to recognize Logan when they entered the pub. First, one just needed to look at the darkest corner of the room. Second, look for a short, hairy fellow that was almost as broad as he was tall and had a gleam in his dark eyes. As soon as they entered, Captain America and the Black Widow spotted him and sauntered over to the booth. "How's it going, Cap? You didn't mention you were bringing Romanoff with you."

"I would have if you had stayed on the line a second longer, you know;" said Steve with a smile. Logan grunted and sipped his brew. "So this mission - the Hawk and Bird Boy got themselves lost in the woods and you two need my help to find them?"

"Pretty much, yeah;" said Natasha. Logan chuckled and said, "Sounds simple enough; is it a SHIELD mission?"

"No;" both the Avenger's replied firmly. "Alright, sounds good so far. When do we leave?"

Steve and Natasha looked at each other. They had expected a little more convincing to be required. "Meet us at the SHIELD office. We'll leave as soon as you get there."

Logan nodded, pulled out a fifty dollar bill from his wallet and said, "Lunch is on me, kids. I'll see you in a couple hours."

For a minute, Steve and Natasha just sat there before Steve asked, "Um... kids?"

"Well he is older than both of us by at least a couple of centuries older than both of us - which is saying something."

Steve nodded and said, "Right; well, let's order, eat and get back to the office. We need to get some kind of transportation. I doubt that SHIELD will get us any."

"Tony will loan us one of his private jets. I'd guarantee it."

* * *

Natasha turned out to be right. They went to a private airport and were in the air an hour and a half after meeting at the SHIELD office. Logan looked at the quinjet before calling forward, "Hey, spook, you think we could get and in-flight meal?"

Of course there was no response. "Not too chatty are they?" he said to Steve and Natasha. Natasha chuckled and pulled some jerky from her pack. "Will his do? I have some water too if you need it."

Logan chuckled. With a _shnikt,_ one of his claws popped out. Taking the bag of jerky, he cut a slit and pulled a big piece out and popped it into his mouth, starting to chew. "Thanks, Darlin'; so when we get to our drop sight, you guys need to be aware that we might run into some old friends of mine. Don't fly off the handle and start shooting anyone are throwing your frisbee around."

Cap and Widow snorted with amusement. Logan swallowed and scowled. "I'm being serious. If we don't play this right, it's going to become an international incident. I personally don't give a shit but I'm pretty sure SHIELD and the US government and the Canadian government might."

They both nodded. Logan leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "Just leave the talking to me, alright? We'll do just fine."

Natasha and Steve looked at each other, know that they were thinking the same thing. When was leaving the talking to the Wolverine ever a good idea?


End file.
